Man who beat his baby daughter claimed he was 'possessed'

A man suffering from mental illness who was jailed after his daughter suffered "catastrophic" injuries when she was five weeks old had blamed an "alter ego" which he said took control of him, a ruling by a senior family court judge has revealed.

Rocky Uzzell, 29, from Kettering, Northamptonshire, said a "ghost-like person" which had at times had "taken over his body since he was a child" had tried to "get rid" of baby Isabelle.

He had made the claims at a private hearing in the Family Division of the High Court - 18 months before being sentenced by a crown court judge.

Mr Justice Keehan, who oversaw the family court litigation, has now decided that evidence he heard behind closed doors can be made public because criminal proceedings have ended.

The judge has released a ruling he produced in May 2015. In the ruling, he describes Uzzell's evidence as "chilling".

However, Mr Justice Keehan said he had concluded that Uzzell had assaulted the little girl - and that blaming an alter ego was a "ruse".

Mr Justice Keehan said Uzzell had mental health difficulties and had endured an abusive childhood.

He said he understood how Uzzell might have created an alter ego as an"imaginary protector".

But he said evidence showed that Uzzell had hurt Isabelle - not a ghost and he said there was a "sadistic element" to the abuse.

Isabelle - who will be three in February - suffered serious brain damage andother multiple injuries in March 2014.

Police said the harm caused was "catastrophic" and "horrific".

Specialists say she will be wheelchair-bound for life - and will always have to be fed by tube.

Uzzell, and Isabelle's mother, Katherine Prigmore, 24, were jailed on December 7 2016 by Judge Rupert Mayo during a hearing at Northampton Crown Court.

Both admitted causing Isabelle serious harm, or allowing her to suffer serious harm.

Judge Mayo said Uzzell had injured Isabelle and imposed an eight-and-a-half year jail term.

He handed Prigmore a 28-month jail term, and said her priority had not been Isabelle.

Mr Justice Keehan had analysed the case during April and May 2015.

Social workers had asked him to make decisions about who had hurt Isabelle, to help them take decisions about who should care for her.

He produced a ruling on May 7 2015, but said that it would have to remain under wraps until criminal proceedings were over to avoid the possibility of jurors being prejudiced.

The judge has now approved the release of the ruling and says Isabelle and her parents can be named.

Mr Justice Keehan said he was satisfied - on the balance of probabilities -that Uzzell had assaulted Isabelle, and inflicted injuries and pain, on not less than six occasions.

He concluded that Prigmore had known that Uzzell had repeatedly harmed Isabelle and had lied to protect him.

The judge said she had done nothing to protect her baby.

But he said he could not rule out Prigmore as a future carer - even though he had made findings against her of the "highest order of seriousness".